Thursday, March 6, 2014

40 days.

I grew up in the Roman
Catholic church and remember Lent as the counting down of days until
I could drink Vanilla Coke again (I always
chose Vanilla Coke, year after year). The days dragged.

Now, a decade later
I've finally glimpsed into the season of Lent and how it can so
beautifully prepare our hearts for the day Christ sacrificed Himself,
and just days later, when He was so powerfully raised from the dead.

This
season is what makes Christianity so different. This
whole God in the flesh, sin taking and death defeating thing is so different from anything I've ever heard. It is different from anything I have ever experienced. And yet so many
of us don't intentionally open our hearts, minds or lives to marvel
at what He has overcome. We pass through the time that builds up to
the day of the Crucifixion and Resurrection and let it become another
tradition, religious practise, and yet another commercialised holiday
centered around us.

But
this year I really want to stop, watch and act. I want to so intently look
into the life and ministry of Jesus to better understand the depth of
His death and resurrection.

Now
I'm not used to truly practising Lent, but this morning as I was
reading through the first few chapters of Luke I realised that I want
to put myself in the same situation that Jesus did. Just after He was baptised and the Holy Sprit, along with the blessing of the
Father, came down on Jesus, He went out willingly into the wilderness for 40 days. He was fasting, was hungry, and faced
temptations all the while. God in the flesh put Himself in the
wilderness so that He could fast, pray, seek God, and become even
more dependent on His Father.

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord... I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:8, 10 -11

I
want to willingly put myself in a wilderness that is going to teach
me dependence on my Father and bring me closer to Him. I want to gaze
into the mysteries of who Jesus is, the lessons He taught, the
miracles He preformed, the rejection He experienced, the compassion
He felt, the sin He took, the penalty He paid, the suffering He knew,
and the battle He defeated. I want to know Jesus in His resurrection.
I want to know Life.

I want to be aware and awakened to Jesus during this season leading up to Easter.

One
thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the
house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of
the LORD and to seek Him in His temple. Psalm 27:4

Maybe
you're skeptical about the practicalities of Lent. Maybe it has
always been a religious practise of, you know, "that" other denomination. Maybe
you don't know what you could possibly fast or “give up”. I want
to challenge you to seek God and ask what you could do. Ask what
wilderness you could willingly put yourself into to see more of Him in
the glory of His Son's suffering and resurrection.

So, if you're keen to do this with a few of us friends over here who want to do this Lent thing, check it out. Think about it. It might be different from what you've done before, but we are all wanting to challenge ourselves and see more of Jesus in our daily lives. We want to come to Resurrection day and know that our hearts have changed because we've met with Jesus. That is the point of all of this.

Seriously though, if you're interested and want to do this go on over to Brett's blog and let him know that you're in. There will be something new each day so keep your eyes on it.

This
season has the ability to change your whole understanding of Christ,
who He is, and who you are in light of that. Don't take the chance of passing up such a beautiful season of dependence and awareness of Christ Himself.